Happy Friday everyone! I am so excited that we have almost made it through the work week. The weekend has been calling my name for days now…or more like since Monday ;). I am off to Des Moines this weekend to spend some quality time with my brother and mom. I am looking forward to checking out their Farmer’s Market for the first time. I hear that it is absolutely AWESOME.
But let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves. It is technically still Friday and, as a result, it is time for me to share some of my favorite recipes from around the web that I have cooked up over the past two weeks. I hope you all find something that calls your name :).
Friday Foodie Favorites: July 26, 2013
Remember this? I posted about this Smoky Black-Eyed Pea and Kale soup a couple of weeks back, and I am finally going to share the recipe link with you. I ran across this recipe on Janet’s blog and was so excited to try it. I have been majorly crushing on both kale and black-eyed peas, so I knew that this soup would be right up my alley. I really enjoyed it. And, I still have one serving left in my freezer that I cannot wait to dig into next week.
Up next is…
…the Happy Herbivore’s hippie loaf (a.k.a vegan “meatloaf”). If you have been reading my blog for a while now, then you are well aware of my love for the Happy Herbivore cookbooks. I use her three cookbooks more than any other cookbooks that I own. This vegan “meatloaf” is super-duper flavorful, it has an awesome texture, and it is packed with veggies and high-protein ingredients, like quinoa. You really cannot beat this one. And lucky for you, the recipe is also posted on the Happy Herbivore website!
The next recipe that I am eager to share with you is for Heather’s Spicy Black Bean Burgers. I have cooked and eaten many a veggie burgers, but I always get excited when I find new twists on the more traditional burger. I am a huge fan of black bean burgers, but Heather’s spicy additions made for an even more delicious meal. Plus, look at those veggies in there. I love when you can actually SEE the vegetables in a veggie burger!
So…back to soup:
And yes, I do eat soup when it is 95 degrees outside. I am cool like that (no pun intended)! 😉 The heat of this soup was so worth it! I was drawn toward Elise’s Curried Yellow Split Pea Soup for several reasons. First, pretty much anything with “curry” in the title instantly draws me in. I am a curry fanatic! And then when I saw that this soup contained carrots, parsnips, and butternut squash, I was totally sold. I also loved the idea of cooking with a new-to-me food: yellow split peas! All of these reasons had me sold on this soup. Not that I really needed multiple reasons to cook it! I am SO glad that I tried it. It was beyond tasty, even in the heat of Summer. I served my soup over cauliflower “rice” and I absolutely loved this substitution to my usual choice of saltine crackers. I will definitely be making this again, likely this Winter ;).
And finally…
…I saved the best for last? Haha, okay I’m just kidding. All of the recipes that I have shared today are fantastic, but I must say that I am especially excited about this one. Apryl’s recipe for Salisbury tofu instantly caught my eye. When I think back to my days of elementary school, junior high, and high school, I definitely remember eating many Salisbury steaks in my schools’ cafeterias. I am not sure that I was the biggest fan of them at the time, but a few months back I was having a craving for something similar and came across this recipe. I adapted the recipe a bit by using a packet of vegan mushroom gravy instead of the vegan “beef” gravy. I also added a ton of extra mushrooms because I have really been loving them lately. This dish turned out so good. It was incredibly easy to make and instantly satisfied all of my cravings for the more traditional Salisbury steak. This is a must make!
I hope that you found a recipe (or five!) that intrigue(s) you and that you cannot wait to try. If you do, please let me know what you think! Have a fabulous Friday and a wonderful weekend! 🙂
